1000 Black Voices

What 1000 Black Voices does

1000 Black Voices is a UK-headquartered community and accelerator platform founded in 2020 by Dr. Elizabeth Shaw to support Black-led technology startups and the broader ecosystem of investors, corporates, and governments connected to them. Its core offerings include the 1000BVAccelerator (a 12-month program for Black-led tech startups), a 12-week AI/blockchain accelerator operated with SingularityNET, a recurring Trade Mission program in cities such as New York, San Francisco, Morocco, Nigeria, and Atlanta, a 12-week Fundraising Service delivered with Latham & Watkins, Plug and Play, Google, and KPMG, a three-tier founder membership (Empower £15/mo, Innovate £55/mo, Advisory from £299), the GrowthHub curriculum, and an Inclusion Practice offering diversity and AI-governance advisory to corporates and investors. The organization does not develop proprietary software; it operates as a relationship-driven platform whose "technology" is its community and event infrastructure.

The business model blends recurring subscription revenue from memberships with fee-based professional services—success-based fundraising fees, £1,595 trade-mission fees per founder, and corporate advisory engagements—and relies heavily on in-kind support from a high-profile partner roster (Microsoft, Google, SingularityNET, ITV, BCG, Nasdaq, Wilson Sonsini, Cyber-Duck, Techstars, the British Consulate). GTM is community-led and event-driven: webinars, roundtables, trade missions, and accelerator cohorts serve as the primary acquisition and engagement mechanisms, supported by content marketing (ethical AI guides, Series A playbooks) across LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram, and the company website. Customer segments span Black founders and tech startups (primary), investors seeking diverse deal flow, corporates pursuing DEI and innovation partnerships, and government/diplomatic partners supporting trade and economic development.

Notable operational signals include a BIMA 100 Champion for Change recognition for the founder (2023), partnerships with Microsoft and SingularityNET to seed accelerators, and visible portfolio outcomes such as AudioMob (valued at over $110M, $16M+ raised) and Slinger (£500K pre-seed from Fuel Ventures and Google for Startups Black Founders Fund). The firm does not disclose revenue, headcount, or external funding, indicating a founder-controlled, operationally lean organization that monetizes primarily through small-ticket memberships, program fees, and corporate advisory contracts while leveraging partner ecosystems for technology, mentoring, and distribution.

Name

1000 Black Voices

Legal name

1000 Black Voices

Website

https://1000blackvoices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

1000 Black Voices is a UK-based community and accelerator platform founded in 2020 that supports Black-led tech startups through accelerator cohorts, trade missions, fundraising programs, and tiered memberships, while advising corporates and investors on diversity and ethical AI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator programs
• Trade mission services
• Founder community platform
• Diversity inclusion advisory
• Fundraising advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Founder Memberships: Three-tier membership model for founders: Empower (£15/month or £165/year), Innovate (£55/month or £605/year), and Advisory (starting from £299 with performance-based fees). Membership provides access to community, mentoring, events, and showcase opportunities.
2. Fundraising Services: 12-week fundraising engagement program providing investment readiness, mentoring, and investor introductions. Fees are success-based, payable upon funding raised. Consulting and advisory services may include upfront fees or retainers.
3. Trade Mission Fees: Trade missions to global locations (New York, San Francisco, Morocco, Nigeria, Atlanta) with standard fees around £1595 per founder. Additional fees for masterclasses and advisory add-ons.
4. Accelerator Programs: Free-of-charge accelerator programs (1000BVAccelerator, SingularityNET Accelerator) for Black-led tech startups. Programs are supported by corporate partners (Microsoft, Cyber-Duck, SingularityNET) who provide technical insight, mentoring, and technology.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

1000 Black Voices operates an inclusive global community and accelerator platform that runs founder accelerator programs (1000BVAccelerator, SingularityNET-powered AI/blockchain accelerator), international trade missions, a 12-week fundraising program, tiered memberships (Empower, Innovate, Advisory), GrowthHub programs, Inclusion Practice corporate advisory, and Founder Community/Investor Central platforms. The offerings are designed to connect Black-led tech founders with investors, corporates, and governments to access capital, talent, mentorship, and global markets.

Product overview

1000 Black Voices is an inclusive global community and accelerator platform rather than a traditional software product company. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including the 1000BVAccelerator for Black-led tech startups, an Accelerator powered by SingularityNET for AI/blockchain founders, Trade Missions for global expansion, a 12-week Fundraising Program, and three-tier Membership options (Empower, Innovate, Advisory). Supporting services include GrowthHub for innovation skills, Inclusion Practice for diversity consulting, AI Review for AI evaluation, Innovation Discovery Showcase for curated startup access, and Growth Partnership for corporate-startup connections. These programs are delivered through the Founder Community and Investor Central platforms, enabling access to capital, talent, and market opportunities globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1000BVAccelerator: A 12-month results-focused accelerator program designed exclusively for Black-led tech start-ups
• 1000 Black Voices Accelerator powered by SingularityNET
• GrowthHub
• Inclusion Practice
• Trade Mission

Quantifiable outcome

• 0.43% of VC funding goes to Black founders ( Crunchbase Q3 2022), highlighting the market gap 1000 Black Voices addresses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SingularityNETcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2021SingularityNET partnered with 1000 Black Voices to launch a 12-week accelerator for Black AI and blockchain startup founders. The partnership provides access to SingularityNET's DEEP Funding pool worth $1M+ (5 million AGI tokens), technical advice, mentorship, and hackathons. The accelerator runs in two phases: technology and business development.
• Cyber-DuckcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2020Cyber-Duck, a digital transformation agency, supported the 1000 Black Voices Black Tech Accelerator 2020, providing technical expertise and mentoring to Black tech founders.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2020Microsoft partnered with 1000 Black Voices to launch the Black Tech Accelerator 2020, providing scaleups with technical insight, mentoring, and technology. Microsoft's corporate mission aligns with empowering Black entrepreneurs to achieve more through technology.
• ITVminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 July 20201000 Black Voices was featured as a supporting organization on ITV's Black Voices campaign, created to give Black people a platform to share experiences, stories, and educate audiences. Both organizations share stories as catalysts for change.
• British ConsulatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe British Consulate partners with 1000 Black Voices on trade missions, hosting receptions and roundtable events. Eleanor Boyer from the British Consulate is featured as a government representative. The Consulate supports events bringing together tech, science, venture capitalists, and business leaders.
• Latham & WatkinscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLatham & Watkins serves as a delivery partner for the fundraising service, providing strategic counsel and practical commercial advice to help founders achieve Series A ambitions.
• Plug and PlaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlug and Play, a global innovation platform, partners with 1000 Black Voices to help founders make meaningful connections, partnerships, and progress toward their goals.
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle partners with 1000 Black Voices through its growth experts to help founders accelerate their growth journey to Series A. Google is also an investor in AudioMob through Google for Startups.
• KPMGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKPMG is a delivery partner for the fundraising service, providing professional audit, tax, and advisory services to support founder growth.
• Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & RosaticoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWilson Sonsini, a leading law firm for technology companies, partners with 1000 Black Voices on trade missions and provides expert guidance on legal, IP, and business matters for founders.
• BCG (Boston Consulting Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCG partners with 1000 Black Voices as part of the trade mission program, bringing strategic consulting expertise to the ecosystem.
• NasdaqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNasdaq partners with 1000 Black Voices on trade missions, providing access to capital markets expertise and investor networks for founders.
• Empire StartupsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmpire Startups is listed as a partner supporting the 1000 Black Voices ecosystem for startup growth and innovation.
• London and PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon and Partners supports the 1000 Black Voices ecosystem, providing connections to the London innovation ecosystem for founders.
• Rise NYminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRise NY partners with 1000 Black Voices on trade missions to New York, providing access to the New York tech and startup ecosystem.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• All Raise: Nonprofit increasing diversity in tech leadership by supporting women and non-binary founders and funders. Shares 1000 Black Voices' mission of expanding capital access for underrepresented groups and operates community, mentorship, and programming models.
• Village Capital: Nonprofit supporting impact-driven startups through peer-selected accelerator programs, with material focus on founders from underrepresented backgrounds. Overlaps with 1000 Black Voices on community-led programming and mission-driven capital access.
• Techstars: Global accelerator operator that runs startup programs including ones targeting diverse founders; 1000 Black Voices explicitly recommends and feeds founders into Techstars NYC powered by J.P. Morgan. Both operate multi-stage accelerator and mentor-driven models for tech startups.
• Plug and Play: Corporate accelerator platform operating globally across multiple verticals; 1000 Black Voices lists Plug and Play as a strategic partner helping founders access connections and partnerships. Both deliver corporate-led accelerator experiences with structured program timelines.
• Google for Startups Black Founders Fund: Google's initiative providing non-dilutive funding to Black-led startups in the US, Europe, and Africa; 1000 Black Voices is listed as a direct referral partner feeding founders into the fund. Both share the same target founder demographic and inclusion-focused mission.
• Backstage Capital: Venture fund explicitly backing startups led by underrepresented founders including Black, women, and LGBTQ+ founders. Operates in the same inclusion-driven capital access space as 1000 Black Voices' investor membership and fundraising services.
• gener8tor: US-based accelerator operator running both general and industry-specific cohorts with explicit programs for underrepresented founders. Comparable in operating model (12-week cohorts, demo days, mentor networks) and inclusion-focused mandate.

Broad incumbents

• MassChallenge: Global zero-equity accelerator with industry and country-specific programs including initiatives targeting diverse founders. Represents a larger, established player overlapping on the accelerator-plus-corporate-partnership model that 1000 Black Voices operates.
• Y Combinator: Largest global startup accelerator providing seed funding, mentorship, and demo days to thousands of founders. Serves as a broad incumbent against which 1000 Black Voices positions its niche Black-founder-focused accelerator offering.

Emerging players

• Fast Forward: Accelerator specifically for tech nonprofits; while narrower in scope, it shares 1000 Black Voices' accelerator-as-impact model and close ties to corporate sponsors and tech-for-good capital partners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/1000blackvoices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1000-black-voices
• Instagraminstagram.com/1000BlackVoices
• Facebookfacebook.com/1000blackvoices

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 1000 Black Voices